Dagestani lawyers urge State Duma MPs to investigate torture in Saratov prison hospital

The Russian State Duma MPs should use their right to conduct a parliamentary inquiry into reports prisoners' torture, including natives of the Caucasus, practised at the Saratov prison hospital, Dagestani lawyers have stated.

The petition on behalf of the Dagestani legal community was posted on the "Change.org" website by the user with the nickname Ziyautdin Uvaisov.

In the Saratov Region, 12 criminal cases were initiated on the facts of torture in the prison hospital: about rape, harassment and abuse of office. According to Igor Krasnov, the Russian Public Prosecutor General, since the start of 2021, a total of 103,000 violations of the law have been revealed in colonies and SIZOs (pre-trial prisons).

The legislation does not provide for the MPs' control over the investigation of criminal cases, but their appeals can draw attention to the problem, lawyers believe.